Rabwah Times

Khalifa of Islam urges people to pray for the Muslim World

The Khalifa of Islam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, lamented the “pitiful and sorry-state” of much of the Muslim world during his weekly Friday Sermon delivered on 31st January 2014. Speaking at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London, the Khalifa highlighted the examples of war-torn Syria and of Pakistan, where he said countless innocent people were being targeted and persecuted. He called on Ahmadi Muslims around the world to pray for the peace and stability of the Muslim world. Speaking about …

International Ahmadiyya Conference to be held in Qadian, India from December 27

CHANDIGARH: Around 5,000 Pakistanis will cross over Punjab to participate in a three-day annual International Ahmadiyya Muslim Conference will be held at the Ahmadiyya Muslim headquarters in Qadian, Gurdaspur, beginning December 27. The first batch of 700 delegates arrived from Pakistan via Attari border and were welcomed by residents of Qadians, including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims. One of the delegates said religious expression of Ahmadiya Muslims in Pakistan was banned 35 years ago. “We are not allowed to express …

Ahmadi sect under siege in Pakistan: British Doctor arrested for reading The Quran

A 72-year-old British doctor is in prison in Pakistan for “posing as a Muslim”, charges that reveal an escalating ideological fight that often spills over into violence. Masood Ahmad is a quiet, reserved widower who returned to Pakistan to open a pharmacy in 1982 after decades of working in London to pay his children’s school fees, his family said. He is also an Ahmadi, a sect that consider themselves Muslim but believe in a prophet after Mohammed. A 1984 Pakistani …

Quran’s Punjabi translation top seller at the Chandigarh Book Fair

CHANDIGARH: A Punjabi translation of the Quran turned out to be one of the top selling books at the Book Fair in Sector 17, Chandigarh. It became the centre of attraction for many readers at the stall set up by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Chandigarh, which sold more than 50 copies in just two days. “We are selling the translated books at the minimum possible cost of Rs350. We have translations in three languages – Hindi, English, and Punjabi. …

Persecuted Muslims Who Love Life in England

As Friday prayers end thousands of believers stream out of the mosque. Keen-eyed men with Pashtun cheekbones hover by a convoy of cars, many of them wearing the traditional hats of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier province. Were it not for the Tube depot in the background, one could be in that exotic land with its long and sometimes unhappy links with Britain. Departing last, and driven safely away, is Hadhrat Mizra Masroor Ahmad, the fifth leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya community. …

Historic reception held in honour of Khalifa of Islam in Japan

The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Fifth Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad addressed an audience of more than 100 Japanese dignitaries and guests on 9 November 2013 at a Special Reception held at the Mielparque Hotel in Nagoya. During his address, His Holiness explained Islam’s true and peaceful teachings; he condemned all forms of terrorism and extremism; he spoke movingly about the Japanese people and he appealed to Japan’s leaders to strive for world peace.

Khalifa of Islam addresses New Zealand’s Parliament

The World Head and Fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered an historic address at New Zealand’s National Parliament in Wellington on 4 November 2013. In front of an audience of Parliamentarians, Ambassadors of State, academics and a range of other guests, the Khalifa advocated the urgent need for justice as a means to develop world peace in the face of increasing tensions and conflicts in various parts of the world. Indeed, His Holiness deemed …

Minorities under pressure in Pakistan

Being a member of an ethnic or religious minority in Pakistan brings with it inherent risks – something dramatically illustrated in Peshawar last month when a bomb attack on a church killed at least 85 people. The US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 notes that the 5 percent who constitute the non-Muslim population in a country of just over 190 million face persecution in many forms, including “attacks on houses of worship, religious gatherings, and religious leaders …

Ahmadi man shot dead in Orangi Town Karachi due to his faith

Bashir Ahmed Kiyani (70) s/o Abdul Ghafoor Kiyani was killed and three others, including a 10-year-old boy, were injured by the firing of unidentified men riding a motorcycle near Badar Chowk in Sector 4-F Orangi Town. Mominabad police said that the deceased was an Ahmedi and a retired military personal. A young boy identified as Wajid (10), son of Akram Qureshi, and two passers-by including Asad Khan and Owais Fazal were also injured in the firing but their condition was …

British PM David Cameron praises Young Ahmadiyya Muslims

Young Muslims are planning to turn up at Heathrow Airport and London’s rail and underground stations in force – to collect money for the Poppy Appeal. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) will be helping The Royal British Legion for the fourth year running as a mark of good citizenship and a testament to the Islamic edict of demonstrating loyalty to your country. More than 300 AMYA volunteers will be stationed at train and tube stations across the city of London, …

Khalifa of Islam visits Australia

The Khalifa of Islam and Fifth head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad arrived in Australia for the second leg of his Asia Pacific tour. His Holiness arrived at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport at 5.15am local time, following an overnight flight from Singapore and was greeted at the airport by Rt Hon Kevin Conolly MP, a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly and Mr Mahmood Ahmad, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Australia. During a twenty …

For Pakistan’s Ahmadis, a depressing tale of two gatherings

A fortnight ago, tens of thousands of members of the Ahmadi Muslim community gathered in the historic English market town of Alton. They were there for an annual conference. This year, the community was also marking the centenary of its presence in Britain. As far back as 1926, the Ahmadis established London’s first mosque. In countries as diverse as Canada and South Africa, there are similar events that take place throughout the year. But the one country where Ahmadis aren’t …